Pearls
by Lady Sorciere
Summary: Teaser's pearls are special. No one is allowed to touch them and no one knows their real purpose.
1. Chapter 1

Treasure

Disclaimer: I do not own Cats. If I did, I would have my college bill paid off.

Let's see . . . I'm using an idea that I got years ago for a different fandom in this story so be prepared for magic - not just the shooting lightning bolts kind. I'm not going to try to write in a Cockney accent so use your imagination. In this story, Jerrie and Teaser are not siblings, they're mates. I was won over to this ship while reading one of the stories for the Random Jellicle Week challenge. I uploaded this as complete but I might continue it. Let me know what you think. Happy reading and please review!

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"Teaser, can I look at your pearls?" Etcy was already reaching out when she asked the question and in a panic, Teaser batted her friend's hand away.

"No! Don't touch 'em!" A sudden silence fell on the gathered kittens and Teaser ducked her head. It wasn't often that she got to hang out with her friends in the Junkyard and she didn't want to ruin the day.

"Oh, Etcy, don't worry about it. Teaser doesn't let anyone touch her pearls, not even Jerrie." Ever the peacemaker, Jemima managed to smooth things over. "Right, Teaser?"

"Right. I'm sorry, Etcy. I'm just a bit . . . Touchy about me pearls." Teaser offered a weak smile and Etcy seemed to bounce back to her usual cheery self.

"Look, it's Tugger!" A piercing squeal followed the announcement and Etcy jumped up and bounded over to her idol. Jemima rolled her eyes and walked out; she was the official "Etcy sitter" that day and was supposed to keep the youngest kitten out of trouble. That left Teaser, Victoria, and Electra together on the old couch.

"Teaser, why don't you let anyone touch your pearls?" Victoria questioned, idly combing her headfur.

"I already told ya. They're special." Teaser picked at some dirt on her arm and tried to change the subject. "How're things with you an' Plato?"

Victoria stiffened, her eyes darting over to where Tugger stood and then to Misto. "Fine. You know what, I need to go check something. I'll see you two later."

Electra and Teaser were left alone. Electra was not a talkative cat so they sat together quietly for a few minutes. "Teaser, it's him, isn't it?"

"Yeah. He spies on me with 'em. I can't take 'em off and if anyone else touches 'em, he sees. That's 'ow he found out about me an' Jerrie." She tugged at the pearls around her neck. "How'd you escape him?"

"I went to Deuteronomy. He gave me protection in exchange for information." Electra slid over and put a hand on Teaser's arm. "You need to talk to someone, Teaser. You have to get out of this."

Teaser shook her head, glancing around in a panic. "Electra, no one even knows that I work for 'im. Jerrie got out of it for me and if he knows that I got in it for him, he'll be so disappointed. I can't."

Electra sighed and shook her head but didn't argue.

"Teaser! Where are ya?" Jerrie's voice rang out over the sounds of the Junkyard and Teaser jumped up.

"I gotta run, Electra." She ran out into the main clearing and launched herself at Jerrie. She caught him off guard and they tumbled head over heels for several feet before stopping in a pile of limbs. "I missed you, Jerrie."

"I missed you too, luv, but I had a great trip with Skimble." Jerrie nuzzled her chest and winked. "Brought you back something shiny. You'll get it later though. What were you up to?"

_Oh, just did some stealin' for Macavity, spied on Munk and Dem for 'im, the usual. _Forcing a grin, Teaser tried to answer lightly. "The usual, Jer. Nicked some human things, stalked Tugger."

A jealous light appeared in her mate's eyes. "Shouldn't stalk him. He's got a mate, remember?"

"But 'e's the handsomest bloke, Jer . . . 'Cept for you, a'course." That made up for it and Teaser disentangled herself from Jerrie. "Are we going to Dad's for dinner?"

"We are so we should probably head that way now." Waving goodbyes, Jerrie and Teaser left the Yard, on their way to the train station to meet up with Skimbleshanks. Teaser had missed her father almost as much as her boyfriend and the time with them was nice.

Her week was going wonderfully, in fact, until she felt that familiar chill in her necklace that mean Mac wanted her. Making excuses, Teaser slipped away from the Junkyard early one evening and met her employer in the usual alley.

"You're late, pet. You know I detest tardiness."

"I'm sorry, sir. You know how they are." Teaser trembled at the cold anger in Mac's voice. It wasn't healthy to make him angry. "I'm here now though. What do you need?"

"I want you to get me a pair of diamond earrings. The regular house. Bring them tomorrow." Mac turned to go but stopped and faced her again, smirking. "I see your precious friend Mungojerrie has returned. How is he? I do so miss his work."

Teaser had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Jerrie was also under Deuteronomy's protection but that only lasted in the tribe's domain. If Jerrie wandered out of the Jellicle boundaries, he was vulnerable to Mac. "Don't hurt 'im, please, sir. I'll do anything."

Mac's eyes narrowed. "Anything? Really? I will have to take you up on that, _pet_." He tipped her chin up and smirked at her. "I do so love your company." His eyes were cold and his claws dug into her skin. Without thinking, Teaser whimpered and tried to pull away and earned a slap across the face from her boss.

_That will be hard to explain away. _"I'm sorry, sir! You were hurting me."

"Next time you pull that, you will be in much more pain, Rumpleteaser. Go. I expect those earrings tonight."

"But you said -" Mac's glare cut her protest off. "Right, sir. I'll have them tonight." When he was gone, Teaser slunk back into the Junkyard. Electra was waiting on the old couch.

"Teaser, you have to talk to Deuteronomy. He's getting violent and you know how that ends." They shared panicked glances but then Jerrie's laugh cut through the other noise and Teaser shook her head. She'd do anything to protect her mate - anything at all. If that meant she'd get knocked around by Macavity, so be it.

"You know why I can't, Electra. Mac can still break into the 'Yard, despite Deuteronomy's magic so I have to keep working for him. It's the only way to protect Jerrie."

"You're going to regret this, Teaser." Electra hissed, jumping down and stalking away.

"Teaser? Are you alright?" Jerrie took Electra's vacated seat and touched Teaser's face. "You been actin' strange lately. I'm worried about you."

"Oh, Jerrie, I'm fine. My luck's been rotten but maybe it'll change now you're back." Teaser was not and had never been a convincing liar. Jerrie sighed and plucked at his collar.

"Luv, you will let me know if you're in trouble, right? I wanna help you."

"'Course I will, Jerrie. Look, I'm tired. I'm gonna catch a nap and we can talk later." Teaser kissed Jerrie quickly and flashed a bright smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. I meant it, Teaser, I'll help you however I can."

Teaser sighed as she watched him walk over and join some of the other toms. If only he could help, but no one could now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own CATS at all.  
If Jerrie and Teazer seem a bit OOC in this story, it's because they're older, a bit wiser, and dealing with problems. Please don't be upset if they aren't as goofy as they are in most stories.

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"Oy, Skimble!" Jerrie trotted to catch up with the railway cat. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, lad." Skimble said with a cheerful smile. He waited for Jerrie and they continued on out of the Junkyard together.

"How are things with Jenny?"

Skimble shook his head and sighed. "She still won't make up her mind. I think all these years single has got her confused."

"Not to mention, Bustopher is quite well off." Jerrie snickered. He grew serious when he saw the expression on Skimble's face. "Come on, Skimble, she'll come round. Don't worry about it."

"Never mind my problems. What do you need?"

It was Jerrie's turn to grow serious. He didn't answer for several minutes and Skimble was silent, waiting for an answer. "It's Teazer." Jerrie finally said. If anyone could tell him what was up with his mate, it was her father.

He didn't understand what was going on. Teazer had always been a bit elusive, even with Jerrie. She would slip away from him sometimes, usually later in the day or at night, or skirt around his questions. He didn't mind so much; he himself didn't tell her everything he did. But now it was different. Teazer was skittish and withdrawn. She spent more and more time talking with Electra on the outskirts of the Junkyard.

"What about her?"

"She's just . . . Too quiet."

Skimble laughed and clapped a hand on Jerrie's shoulder. "You know how queens are. She's probably just playing hard to get or perhaps worrying that you aren't serious about your relationship."

"She'll know just how serious I am in a few weeks."

"Exactly."

They paused. They had reached the edge of the Jellicle protection and Jerrie could go no further. He waved goodbye to the railway cat and turned to go home. Sometimes he missed the freedom of going anywhere he wanted but it was a worthwhile trade. He was with Teazer now and that was better than all the freedom in the world.

He arrived at their home in Victoria Grove and allowed the humans to pet him. He didn't often do that unless Teazer was around. The humans didn't like him quite as much as they liked his mate and the little boy was quite a little devil. Today however, the devil was tame and only wanted to pet Jerrie. After a few minutes, Jerrie slipped away; he could only take so much.

The humans had quite a large house and a little closet off the kitchen, Jerrie and Teazer had matching cat beds. They were the kind humans always made: round, with a little rim, very soft. It was nice and warm, especially nice in the winter but most Jellicles had their own den, away from humans, a place to be themselves. Teazer and Electra had a den together and Jerrie had shared a den with Pounce and Tumble. But now . . . Now it was time for them to have their own place, just the two of them.

That was Jerrie's project now. He was busy making the den cozy and home-like for Teazer. He'd found a lovely crate near the 'Yard and with help from several other toms, it had been adjoined to the network of dens the other Jellicle couples occupied. So far Jerrie had procured two pillows, a few blankets, and a shiny thing to hang from the ceiling. He wandered through the house until he found his latest object: a poster that Teazer had especially admired. It was a lake in a forest at night, lots of stars and shadows, with the word _Serenity _printed on the bottom. Teazer could spend hours staring at it. The human girl had once had the poster on her wall but tired of it and put it in a drawer. Since she wouldn't miss it . . .

The girl was talking into a small object, her voice high and irritating in Jerrie's ears. He mewed loudly, jumped on her bed, and began nudging her hand. He'd learned long ago that the girl would leave the room before kicking him out. He couldn't explain it but it worked to his advantage. Not long after he walked in, the girl left, still chatting away in her annoying voice. Jerrie was able to locate the poster and slipped out of the house easily. The humans were so unobservant.

He wandered back to the Junkyard, keeping an eye out for anything else Teazer might like. Once he arrived at their future den, he began fussing with the furnishings again. He knew Teazer would come in and change things but he wanted her to like it when she first came in. He pushed the two pillows together in the darkest corner and piled the blankets near the hole that would let in sunlight. The shiny thing was hanging from the center of the ceiling and he took a minute to bat at it. Then he put the poster on the wall near the entrance.

"There."

"She'll love it, mate." Asparagus, the son of Gus and Jelly, stood at the doorway with his soft smile. "When are you going to bring her here?"

"I've got some work to do still. It's not quite ready." Jerrie took one last look around then sauntered out. "How's your dad?"

Asparagus frowned. "He's hanging in there. My mother isn't doing so well. She's very down about dad and I don't know what she'll do when he does go."

When they entered the main part of the Junkyard, Asparagus wandered off and Jerrie surveyed the area for Teazer. She was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn't that unusual for Teazer to be hiding somewhere. She was most likely just talking with one of her friends so Jerrie found a group of toms and joined their conversation.

A commotion drew everyone's attention to the entrance and Jerrie frowned. Teazer stumbled in, clutching her arm like it hurt. Avoiding everyone's eyes - including his - she scurried over to one of the side areas with Electra. The other Jellicles shrugged it off; Teazer was known for being a bit odd but Jerrie watched her. The queens were having a serious conversation. Jerrie kept his eyes on the two for a few minutes, until Electra left in a huff. Teazer sat there, rubbing at her arm. After excusing himself from his friends, Jerrie made his way over to his mate.

"Hello, luv."

"Hey, Jerrie." She said, her eyes downcast. Jerrie nudged her, trying to get her to look up at him.

"What's wrong? What happened to your arm?"

"I just, ya know, fell while I was out." She still didn't look at him but she did lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Jerrie wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Teazer, I want to help you, luv, but I can't if ya won't tell me anything." She shook her head at that, apparently still denying that anything was wrong.

And then Jerrie got a brilliant idea. If she really was worried that he wasn't serious about their relationship, she wouldn't be for long. "Come with me, luv. I have a surprise for you." Seizing her good arm, Jerrie hauled Teazer up and led her through the assembled Jellicles. "Close your eyes." Once she did so, a hint of a smile on her face, Jerrie guided her to the den he was preparing.

"Stand there." Jerrie stopped her in the center of the den and stepped back. "Now ya can look."

"Oh, Jer . . ." Teazer turned around slowly, her eyes as big as Jemima's. "Is this . . . It's ours?"

"Yes, luv. Our den." He stepped up beside her and took her hand. "It's not finished yet but I'm workin' on it."

She hugged him, burying her face in the fuzz on his shoulder. "Jerrie, I love you so much."

"And I love you, Teaze."

"But . . I can't . . . I have to work on this . . . Alone." She peered up at him and he could see tears in her eyes.

They stared at each other for a minute and then Teazer pulled away. Jerrie let her go without saying anything.

So something was wrong and she wanted space to work on it. Well, she wasn't going to get it. They were mates and that meant he had a right and a responsibility to help her. He'd get to the bottom of this one way or another.

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AN: Well, I decided to make this a multi-chapter story. I actually have the outline done, I know what's going to happen in each chapter, and I have two of the later chapters written. This will get pretty dark (well, for me) near the end so be prepared. Now, as a heads-up, I'm going to college on Friday and I won't be able to access this site there. Hopefully I can send updates to my sister and she'll publish them for me but if not, I'll be back at Thanksgiving for sure and maybe before then. Thanks for reading and please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own _Cats _or any of the characters mentioned. I just thought I'd have some fun with them for a bit. Happy reading!

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Moonlight glinted off silver, catching Teazer's eye. She took a quick peek in the shop window and sighed inwardly. The bracelet was lovely and if she didn't have a deadline, she'd nick it. But the mission was more important. She continued running down the street, ignoring the other flashes of reflected moonlight. The street hadn't changed at all in the time she'd been working for Macavity and she soon was easing through the gap in the fence.

The house was the same as always. The bedroom window was cracked just enough for Teazer to slide through. A tiny light was on above the old lady's vanity and its glow provided just enough light for Teazer to see by. She crossed the floor silently, grateful for the tile floor that did not creak.

The earrings twinkled brightly in their case and Teazer thanked the Everlasting Cat that things were easy this time. The last time she had spent nearly the whole night hunting for the proper jewelry and missed the deadline. She plucked the diamonds up and eased back across the floor.

She'd definitely make it.

Teazer flitted through the streets like an orange shadow, finally arriving at Macavity's base of operation. The henchcats gathered around the main room whistled at her but Teazer walked through the room with her head held high. She had lots of experience with ignoring the hoots and threats that always followed her. Mac's minions hated cats from a proper tribe.

Mac's door was shut and the angry voices sounding from behind it meant he was in a meeting gone bad. She shuddered; he'd be in an awful mood now. At least she had the earrings. With a soft sigh, she sat in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

"Is Macavity back there?"

A rather scrawny queen stood in the hallway behind Teazer, her yellow eyes bright in the moonlight. She was hugging the wall, looking a bit out of place and nervous.

"Yeah, but 'e's busy. Do you need him?"

"Yeah. Uh, I'm Ramie." The queen shifted, her eyes darting around the hall uncertainly. She was likely brown under the dirt and her eyes were never still. When she happened to meet Teazer's gaze, Ramie drew back a little, looking down at the floor for a minute.

"I'm Teazer." Waiting patiently until the younger queen finally glanced back up, Teazer smiled brightly. That seemed to put Ramie at ease and she took a few steps closer to Teazer. "What brings you here, Ramie?"

"He tol' me he'd have something special for me - like a present." The way Ramie's face lit up at that made Teazer worry. Macavity could be charming when he wanted to and he had obviously turned the charm on for Ramie. The young queen was enthralled by him. Judging by her height and build, she wasn't much older than Jemima or Etcy. Teazer knew the way the story would go. Ramie would work for Macavity, do his errands, loving every minute of it. The day would come, as it always did, when she wouldn't be fast enough or pretty enough or smart enough and Macavity would have no more use for her. He'd let her hang around for a bit longer but without his protection, she'd be vulnerable to any attack by the henchcats. And not much longer after that, she'd go missing. It was an awful cycle.

Someday that would be Teazer's story.

Teazer peered around - the hallway was empty and the back exit, just visible to her eyes, was clear. She made a snap decision - she wouldn't let another queen get wrapped up in Macavity's web. It might be too late for Teazer to escape but here was a chance to play the hero and save another cat. It was worth it.

"Ramie, listen to me." Teazer beckoned the younger queen over and leaned close to her. "No matter how good this seems, it's not. I want you to leave now. Go to the Jellicle Junkyard around noon - ya know where it is, right?" Ramie nodded in confusion, opening her mouth to speak. Teazer continued, not giving the younger cat a chance to talk. "Good. There'll be a queen, sort of black with red blotches, sitting on an old rockin' chair. Her name is Electra. Tell her and her only that I sent you. Alright?"

"I don't understand."

"Trust me, Ramie, it ain't worth it. Electra'll explain." Ramie looked at Teazer doubtfully but after a long moment, nodded. She slipped silently out the back exit and Teazer breathed a sigh of relief. Ramie was an alley cat and Macavity wouldn't miss her. He'd find another queen within days to replace her.

It was only a few more minutes before Macavity called Teazer's name. As she entered his office, one of his lieutenants limped out.

"Ah, pet, you never fail me." Macavity took the earrings and put them on a grimy tray. The scant light glinted off the diamonds, out of place in Macavity's filthy den. "I should give you the diamonds," Mac said, circling around her, "because you _are _my best."

"I'd rather keep my pearls." Teazer said, shfting her weight away from the mystery cat. "I like 'em."

"I suppose the change would be hard to explain to all your little friends." The boss sighed in apparent disappointment and Teazer nodded quickly.

Macavity began prowling around the room, muttering to himself, and Teazer sat down. She knew from experience that leaving before being dismissed was a bad choice. The first - and last - time she'd done it, her eye had been black for a week. That had been nearly impossible to explain; Jerrie didn't ever really buy her stories about being clumsy because he knew she wasn't.

She began playing with her pearls out of habit. Macavity saw her and a smirk appeared on his face. "You do like them, don't you, pet?" He walked back over to her and tugged on her headfur. "They're quite becoming."

It took all of her will power to remain still. Finally, the mystery cat wandered away, waving a hand in dismissal and Teazer eased outside. She used the back exit, rather than going through the main room with all the hench cats and made her way back to Victoria Grove. She was rather shaken by that encounter, though she couldn't say why, and the time alone would do her good.

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Author's Note: Hey, I'm back! School is out for the summer and I've got some free time, so I'm updating my story. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts; that really encouraged me. Hopefully I can finish this story over the summer. I have the last three chapters written so I just need to get the in-between bits down and that's what my outline is for! Thanks for reading and please review!


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